Eye-Opening Facts About Motor Vehicle Accidents in Texas

As the second most populous state in the country, Texas unfortunately sees its share of fatalities and injuries from motor vehicle accidents. According to data gathered by the Texas Department of Transportation, 3,531 people died from motor vehicle-related accidents in the state in 2015. This number is nearly 10% of the total number of motor vehicle deaths in the country (38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2015).

In fact, there were no deathless days on Texas roadways—at least one person was killed every two hours and 29 minutes. In 2015, the deadliest day was Saturday, September 26, when 22 people were killed. The deadliest month was October, with 356 fatalities. Serious injuries from crashes in Texas numbered 17,011 and overall injuries reached nearly 250,000, with injuries occurring every two minutes and eight seconds.

Below are more eye-opening numbers about motor vehicle accidents in the state:

• 54.2% of fatal crashes occurred in rural areas.
• 35.5% of fatalities involved single-vehicle, run-off-the road accidents.
• 40.3% of people killed were not wearing seatbelts.
• 27% of those who died were in a vehicle where the driver was under the influence.
• 52% of the 459 motorcyclists who died were not wearing helmets.

Distracted driving resulted in 476 fatalities in Texas. Nationwide, 62% of distracted driving fatalities are caused by the driver being “lost in thought”, or generally inattentive, according to data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Cell phone use is second in causing fatalities, at 12%.

Pedestrians and bicyclists are not immune either. Hundreds of pedestrians and bicyclists died in motor vehicle-related accidents in the state in 2015:

• 550 pedestrians were killed, which is a 12.7% increase from 2014.
• 51 bicyclists died, a 2% increase from 2014.

The attorneys at Slack & Davis have handled many cases involving traffic-related injuries or deaths. If you or a loved one have been involved in a traffic accident and need help, call us for more information.